Nord User Forum

I have been struggling with getting a good piano tone out of the nord stage EX for so long that I am thinking of shopping for a different keyboard altogether. Before I spend tons of time and money, can anyone maybe shed some light on what gear they use and if they are happy with the piano tone?

Thanks all

I have some M-Audio BX8a powered monitors and they sound very nice. I really only play my unit in my studio.

What do you use for live sound? I played a gig last week with a singer and i hated my sound so much that its making me want a different keyboard...

I use a Yamaha DXR10 set as a floor monitor. The DXR10 is great as it has tons of headroom to compete with other on stage noise and a custom EQ switch on the back for monitor use which knocks out the boomy bass that can sound awful in a floor monitor. In terms of the piano sounds, have you been through the library and tried out all the XL samples? I know opinions differ widely as to which is best for a particular situation but I'd be amazed if there wasn't one in there that you'd be happy with.

+1 for Yamaha DXR10. I have mine on an NJS mini tripod stand and when space allows. I use a 2nd one on the floor
for stereo.
I was in the same position where I just couldn't get a good piano sound for live use. I persevered as I'd spent £2800 on a stage piano and everyone seem to be using them.
I quickly learnt that good quality amplification is needed and stereo, particularly for piano sounds so I sold my Roland KC350 and bought a pair of DXR10s.
I've found that the Silver Grand XL sounds best when using one DXR10 so that's what I've stuck with after a lot of experimentation.

What amplification do you currently use?
Rememeber that the keyboard is only part of the sound, what people will actually hear depends on the amplification. Great keyboard + crappy amplification = crappy sound.
And good amplification costs money, there are no workarounds.
A pair of active full-range speakers will do wonders. Some of the favourites for their price-weight-sound ratio are the Yamaha DXR series, the QSC K series and the ElectroVoice ZLX series.
Bigger speakers (12' or 15') are better if you need more volume or more bass response. For small indoor gigs or for monitor duty, a 10' or 8' will do.

If you don't need a lot of bass and volume, the EV ZXA1 is a great compromise: great sound quality in an unbelievably small and light package.

ditto, sold my Roland amp, and bought one DXR10 used at home at as gig monitor which I place on a small stand to angle up slightly. I use a medium piano- plenty of punch for small gigs. i was downloading large but after reading the posts here, discovered I didn't need to waste the space. the speaker works great with organ, synth piano combos- great all around.

I have the Center Point Space Station v3, but today I would rather look at DXR10, I am not to convinced about the overall quality of the sound - It's good as a leslie sim, but synth and piano sounds can be questionable...

I had a Stage 2 HA88 for three and half years. I upgraded my amplification several times (i.e., K8s, K10s, and RCF TT08As). Was never happy and ended up selling the NS2 about a year ago. I currently have a CP4 with TTO8As. This rig sounds very good and is a pleasure to play.

+1 for any of the 10" powered PA speakers category. The Yamaha DXR10 and JBL PRX710 are the winners in my book, as both of them have RCA inputs - I know, not something that you'll need immediately, but there's going to be those few times where you're glad you have them. The QSC K-10 is also a winner, but at $100 more a speaker, I'll take the 2 or 3 lbs weight penalty per speaker and went with the JBL's. I've been really happy with them.